No. Nothing requires this. Palm can use the same interface other vendors use to interact with an iTunes music library, and wow, they have no issues at all! Palm is creating its own issues all by itself.

I will refer you to the huge overwhelming percentage of Apple OS software that is "borrowed" from open source.

Who is getting a free ride?

This is a horrible analogy to draw and discredits your argument.

The word borrowed can be used without quotes, as the BSD-style (and other similar licenses) allow for it; don't play silly games. The difference is, that code was FREELY given away for others to use, including Apple. In no way has Apple told anyone "here, fake our USB ID"; in fact, they have an alternate mechanism for allowing third-party devices to access the iTunes library on a customer's computer. Why haven't they gone that route?

It isn't that thinking is a burden, it's that thinking could be reserved for, I don't know, complex tasks that have more meaning than getting music onto your portable music player. Please explain to me the advantage of requiring "thinking" to listen to the music you want?

How does vapourware apply to Boxee? It is a real product, with real support, run by who knows how many users? Try to do a little research next time before proving to all us readers just how ill-informed you are.

The police stay in their cars for one simple reason: revenue generation. There is no additional safety in having a police car cruising around with the cop inside staying on the lookout for an errant driver to slap with a $$$ ticket. See, he's too busy looking for that revenue than to be concerned about the area he's supposed to be patrolling.

Some municipal services exist and run at a loss for the benefit of society IN GENERAL, meaning, NOT specifically you. The costs are spread around to minimize any one segment of the population being disproportionately penalized. Things like subways are a perfect example; ticket sales alone to riders could possibly rise above the point where its feasible for those riders to cover.

You are paying for a functioning society. If you don't want to, please feel free to go off in the wilderness and stop taking part in OUR society, thanks.